The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-03-10
FORGIVE AND FORGET.

An Unforgiving Spirit the Mark Not Only of
an Unchristian Soul, but of an Impotent
Mind.
| "LCt bygones be bygones:
| Your heart will be lighter
| When kindness of yours with reception has
met
| The flame Of your love
| VIII be purer and brighter,
II, God-lile. you strive to forgive and forget"
II can never forgive her for what
she has DONE" is remark we so fire.
qucntly hear that we often do not real
ize its awful significance. Some one
beautifully and truthfully remarks:
"He that can not forgive others breaks
down the bridge which he must pass
himself; for every one has need to be
forgiven. As when the sea-worm makes
a hole in the shell of the musscl, the
hole is filled up with pearl; so when
the heart is pierced by an injury, for
giveness is like pearl, healing and
filling up the wound" Who, in sober
second thought, would not choose if
wounded to allow this "pearl'' to come
in rather than the anger of which Plu-
tarch says: 'Lamentation is the only
musician that always like a screech-
owl alights and sits on the roof of an
angry man." Furthermore this same
writer, with thought of how easily
forgiveness could be granted if anger
were not allowed to burn too deeply in
the SOUL says: "It is an easy matter to
stop the fire that is kindled only in
hair, wool, candle-wick, or little
chaff; but if it once have taken hold of
matter that hath solidity or thickness
it soon intlnmcs and consumes, 'ad-
vanced, the highest timber of the roof
as Eschylus saith; so that he that OBJ
serves anger while it is in the begin
ming and sees it by degrees smoking
and taking fire from some speech, or
chaf-like scurrility, he need take no
pains to cxtinguish it, but oftentimes
puts an end to it by silence or neglect.
For as he that adds no fuel to fire hath
already as good as put it out, so he that
dot, not feed anger at the first, nor
blow the fire in himself, hath prevented
and destroyed it.
Here are two pictures to study side
by side, one by Thomas Adams, who
says: 'The angry man is compared
with ship sent into tho sea, which
hath the devil for its pilot. Tho anger
of mortal man should be mortal like
himself But we say of many, as
Valerius Maximus of Sylla, it is ques-
ton whether they or their anger die
first, or whether death prevents them
both together. If you look into the
troubled sea Of anger and desire to see
the image Of man. behold, you find
fiery eyes. Il faltering tongue, gnashing
teeth. heart boiling in brine, and dry
ing up the moisture of the flesh till
there be scarce any part left of his
right composition. The other by
Phillips: "Wl,at can Jesus Christ do
for you now? said an inhuman slave
master when in the act of applying the
lacerating whip to an already half
murdered slave. "Him teach me to
forgive you. massa." was the beautiful
reply learned ut the feet of the Blessed
Master.
Lord Bacon says: Generous and
magnanimous minds are readicst to
forgive; and it is weakness and inn
potency of mind to be unable to for
give"
1t is related that the venerable DIR.
Duff once read ton number OF Hindu
youths the sermon ON the Mount.
When he came to the passage: II say
unto You love your enemies. bless them
that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them who de-
spitefully use you and pcrsecute you."
SO deep and intense was tho impression
produced on one Of them that he ex-
claimed In ecstacy: ''Oh! how beauti-
full. how divine! This Is the TRUTH
And for days and weeks he could not
help repeating; "Love your enemies.
bless them that curse you." etc.; con-
stantly exclaiming, "How beautiful.
surely this is the trnth!'' Nor could he
rest until ho had renoupoed his ialso
gods and their senseless worship and
accepted the truth as 1t IS In Jesus.